048 - King Theoden leads "The Muster of Rohan"

This week we discuss book 5, chapter 3: The Muster of Rohan from "The Return of the King". The Riders of Rohan gather, the Red Arrow arrives, and Théoden prepares to lead 6,000 horsemen into the shadow of Mordor. In this chapter, Merry feels smaller than ever, Aragorn is presumed extremely dead, Dunharrow gets deeply creepy, and the hosts of Rohan ride toward Minas Tirith with very little hope and, somehow, excellent snack energy.Conversation TopicsWhere is Merry? Merry hangs with Théoden, tells Shire stories, and realizes the world is way too bigDunharrow shows up with creepy roads, fat haunted statues, and very bad mountain vibesAragorn, Legolas, and Gimli enter the Paths of the Dead, so naturally everyone assumes they’re super deadHirgon arrives with the Red Arrow, which is basically Gondor’s “please help, everything is on fire” textThéoden has to ride for Minas Tirith while Rohan is also actively getting attackedThe Dawnless Day begins, which is a pretty aggressive way for Mordor to ruin breakfastThéoden tells Merry to stay home, and Dernhelm immediately says, “Absolutely not, get on the horse” Dunharrow, fey, sundered, wold, Dernhelm, all of itTimestamps00:00:00 - The Mustard of Rohan begins00:04:31 - Merry rides with King Théoden00:09:54 - The Rohirrim arrive at Dunharrow00:12:08 - Creepy roads, statues, and mountain ghosts00:19:27 - Aragorn enters the Paths of the Dead00:23:25 - Hirgon brings the Red Arrow00:30:41 - Mordor brings the Dawnless Day00:36:06 - Dernhelm secretly takes Merry to war00:39:06 - Rohan rides into the deepening shadow00:40:20 - Debating Tolkien’s timeline and chapter pacing00:50:25 - The Púkel-men and forgotten civilizations01:01:19 - Debating the Red Arrow’s big moment01:10:50 - Dernhelm means secret helmet, apparently01:13:46 - Food for Thought: chocolate Red Arrows01:20:25 - Next week: The Siege of GondorToday's "Food For Thought": The Red Arrow of GondorMelt milk chocolate, tempering if you want a shiny, firm finish. Dip pretzel rods in chocolate and cool on parchment. If the chocolate gets too thick, gently rewarm it. Melt dark chocolate and add black food coloring if desired. Pipe thick 2-inch lines onto parchment, then drag one side with a fork to shape them like feathers. Make more than you think you’ll need, then freeze until firm.Cut the centers out of large strawberries and dry them well. To assemble, wear food-safe gloves to avoid fingerprints. Trim excess chocolate from the base of each pretzel rod. Working with frozen feathers, gently melt the smooth edge of each feather against a warm plate, then press it onto the pretzel rod and hold until set. Dry the inside of each strawberry again, pipe in a dollop of chocolate, and press the pretzel rod into place, handling as little as possible.Once you are done swearing about chocolate, admire your creations! ----------------------------------------------------Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings. Content Warning: ExplicitSupport the pod on Youtube! @FoolofaTookPodcast Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/foolofatookpodcast/)TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@foolofatookpodcast) Original music for the show composed by Chris NewhardGot a question? Email us [email protected] the fools on IG:Chris (https://www.instagram.com/chrisnewhard)Robbie Jean (https://www.instagram.com/robbiejean815)Pat (https://www.instagram.com/rolling.seas2023)Laura (https://www.instagram.com/kennylaura525)Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fool-of-a-took-podcast/id1770780731)Listen on Spotify Link (https://open.spotify.com/show/0e3myYq2eUbKMMtiV7qAl7)